The Short Straw
by coughgleecough
Summary: Nothing ever went right for Rachel. Nothing. And maybe that was how it would always be. But not if he could help it. - It's now rated M. ON HIATUS FOR NOW.
1. I Miss You

**Hi everyone! So this is my first story on here. I've done other Finchel stories before, but not in this format. So I think I want to branch out a bit and try something new! Just a heads up: the first chapter or so will be set in the past when both Finn and Rachel live in Ohio at the age of 12. Then, it will be present day, but I just want you to know the characters' pasts. So, let me know what you think and please enjoy! **

**Feb. 9, 2003**

"Boys have cooties," Gracie stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "so why are you friends with him?"

He'd always been her friend - best friend at that. And her stupid six year old cousin wasn't going to change that.

"Finn's always been my friend, Gracie. You know that." Rachel commented, her face showing no emotion. "And besides, I thought you said you liked him when you met him. You said that he was nice and funny."

"Well yeah! I _liked_ him. But you _like him_, like him."

Rachel scoffed. "I do not! He's my friend."

Gracie started making kissing noises and then ran off as Rachel tried to get her to shut up.

It all started a few hours ago when Rachel called Finn to wish him a happy birthday. Her parents had dragged her to Nevada to her grandmother's funeral. Rachel loved her grandmother, but this was her _best friend's_ birthday that was on the line. This was no joke, nothing to be questioned. She hadn't missed his birthday in the six years that they had been friends. Not once, and she couldn't believe she was this year. She was swapping it for something much less exciting and so much more depressing.

_"Hello?"_

_"Finn! Oh my gosh! Happy birthday!"_

_"Thanks, Rach!"_

_"So, get anything good yet? Or have you opened your presents?"_

_"Yeah, I did. Uh, my mom got me some new shoes. Which is awesome."_

_"Well yeah! Maybe because you let that evil puppy at the park chew your old ones to shreds!"_

_"Well you know what? That poor little thing didn't have a toy. I felt bad for it." Finn protested._

_"Haha, that was a fun day." Rachel smiled. "Anything else? Did you open my gift yet?"_

_"Nope. Not yet. I'm waiting 'til you get back."_

_"Finn, no. Go open it now!"_

_"Fine, lady! I'm going to get it." _

_"Good." Rachel could hear rustling over the phone as Finn tore through the wrapping paper._

_"No. Freaking. Way."_

_"So do you like it?" Rachel asked, beaming._

_"This isn't real is it? It's some kind of prank."_

_"No, totally real. So yes or no?"_

_"Huh! Do I like it? Rach, these are tickets to The Rolling Stones concert. The Stones, Rach. The. Freaking. Stones."_

_"So I'll take that as a yes then?"_

_"Are you like some sort of mind reader? I'm flipping out, Rach."_

_"Ha! Well, I know that you like them, and I knew they were on tour, so..." she trailed off._

_"Rachel, you have no clue how much this means to me. This is awesome! How much did these cost? You must be like, some secret millionaire or something."_

_"Nah, I just cracked open my piggy bank."_

_"Yeah, well Piggy must be filled with loads of Benjies!"_

_"Well, I'm glad you like the- Crap. Finn, I gotta go. My mom's calling me back over there. I think she wants me to go talk to my creepy old aunt."_

_"Aunt Jodie, right? The one with the glass eye?" Finn asked, knowingly._

_"Yep, that's the one. Listen, I'll talk to you later. Happy birthday."_

_"Yeah, thanks Small Fry." Rachel smiled at the nickname he'd given her when they were little. "Have fun. Well, you know, as much fun as creepy ol' Aunt Jodie can be."_

_"Bye Finn."_

_"Miss you. See ya soon."_

_"Yeah, right back at you."_

And that's where it had ended. They were friends, unlike everyone else thought. Rachel loved Finn, and Finn loved Rachel. But not in _that _way. It was more a brother/sister kind of situation. That's the way they liked it. They'd never thought of each other in that way before. Mainly because they were 12, but still.

**Feb. 11, 2003**

"Mom! I'll be back later! I'm going to see Finn!" Rachel yelled at her mother as she exited the house.

"Rachel, sweetie. Hold on for a second. I-I need to talk to you about something."

Rachel walked back into the living room, concern plastered on her face. "Mom, is something wrong?" She asked, clearly worrying about her mother and the tone she used.

"Sweetheart, I've been thinking..." Shelby started. "I've been thinking that maybe it's time for us to get out of Ohio. Move to a different state and experience new things."

"Mom. Mom, please." Rachel managed to choke out as the tears started brimming in her eyes.

Shelby looked at her daughter, who was barely holding back sobs. "Baby, it's already decided. We're moving to Nevada. Your grandfather can't handle himself on his own. He's old." Shelby tried her best to explain to Rachel. "He needs us to come help him out at home."

"You can't do this to me! Mom, no. We can't move! Please..." The waterworks erupted. Tears streaming down her face, Rachel got up and walked to the front door. "Please Mom. I-I just can't do this. Not now."

"I'm sorry, Rachel." Shelby said with sincerity. She really was sorry. She didn't want to hurt her daughter, but she knew that this was the best thing for them right now. Her father needed the help and she couldn't turn him down. Especially after the loss of her mother. "We'll leave in-" Before she could finish, Rachel was out the door. She didn't go after her because she knew where her daughter was headed. The only place that mattered to her: wherever her best friend was.


	2. Waterworks

**Hi! So I'm back with the second chapter! Yay! Thank you to the people who reviewed. It really means a lot to me and I'm glad you like the story! Please keep 'em coming! Anyway, this is probably the last blast from the past chapter and then I'll get into where I'm wanting this story to go! And I'm sorry it's taken so long to get it up. I was doing homework. And as we all know, homework is a bitch. This chapter comes from by own personal experience from both points of view. Just in this past year my best friend moved and so did I. So that's where my inspiration comes from. Ok, well… yeah! **

Finn was so excited. Rachel had called earlier and promised she'd be over there as soon as possible. Finn hadn't seen his favorite brunette in almost a week and it was slowly killing him. When Rachel got there he was going to giver her one of his famous bear hugs.

However, when Rachel walked through the door, without even knocking, she was far from what Finn had expected. Tears were streaming down her face like a waterfall. She barreled into Finn's chest and hugged him tightly while continuing to sob.

Finn rubbed her back comfortingly and just let her soak his lucky black tshirt. Maybe it wasn't so lucky after all. He didn't push her to tell him what was going on, he just stayed quiet. If she wanted to tell him, then she would.

After a good thirty minutes, the water works ceased. Rachel's eyes were red and puffy and her voice was hoarse, but she would manage; physically anyway. Emotionally, she was screwed.

"Finn," Rachel choked out after a few ragged breaths. She grabbed his hand and held it tight in hers. "Finn, I need to tell you something. And I hate it-" She started to tear up again. "I hate it, bu-but you need to know."

"Rach, just tell me. It can't be as bad as when you told me that you were the one who broke my Xbox controller." He stated, trying his best to cheer Rachel up.

Rachel let out a mixture between a laugh and a sob. Finn wasn't exactly sure of what to think of this, so he stayed silent after that.

"Finn, I'm moving. To Nevada." The petite girl said, sinking back into the green sofa making her look even smaller that she already was. She let out a long sigh as the stabbing pain returned to her heart. When she looked up, the expression on her best friend's face made her already wounded heart shatter into a million pieces.

"Wha- no Rachel. Why?" Finn asked, sudden desperation reaching his tone. "You can't go. Please. You can't." Finn hadn't cried in almost six months. But that streak wasn't going to last. He could feel the water working its way to his eyes.

If it was even possible, Rachel's heart broke even more. "I don't want to! Believe me… I'd give anything to stay here. Anything." She laid her head back on his shoulder now trying to comfort him more so than herself.

"But why?" He just couldn't process the thought of not having his number one small fry around all the time. The most time they'd spent apart in the last six years was this past week when Rachel had been gone. They were inseparable. Now they were being torn apart by an inevitable force.

"My mom agreed to move to help out with my grandfather. You know he's not been doing well since my grandma died. She couldn't say no." Rachel explained, playing with the hem of her skirt.

Finn couldn't argue with that. He knew that Rachel's grandfather was in bad health and the loss of his wife wasn't helping anything improve. But he couldn't help but throw a few suggestions out in the open air. "Why can't you just stay here? That would be fun." Finn said, hopeful.

"Finn, it's not that simple. And you know that." He did know. He knew it too well. Her mother would never allow that to happen and neither would his. But, it was worth a shot. "I wish I could though."

Finn took a deep breath. "Well this kind of ruins my entire day. And week. And life."

"Don't say that." Rachel looked at him. His blank stare making her worry a bit.

The freakishly tall boy always had a glint in his eyes. That glint proved that he was happy and always upbeat and ready to start something new. Rachel knew that better than anyone. But now she couldn't see that. It had disappeared and she wasn't sure if it was ever going to come back. "It's not forever, you know."

"How can you be sure?" Finn looked down at the small brunette who was resting her eyes on his shoulder.

"Because I know how much you mean to me, and I'm not willing to let that go. Not now, not ever. We can keep in touch and visit. Maybe it won't be that bad." Rachel was reassuring herself just as much as she was Finn.

"I hope you're right." Finn wasn't as optimistic as his friend. But, she was Rachel Berry. Her optimism was hard to live up to.

Before he knew it, Finn heard quiet snores coming from his left. And sure enough, his little friend had fallen asleep right there on his shoulder. He didn't mind though. In fact, he joined her. All of the crying had worn them out. That's hard business.

**Hi! Ok, well there is actually going to be another one from when they were kids. So you can be expecting that probably on Wednesday. Hope you liked it and please don't forget to review!**


	3. Trying to Understand

**Hi everyone! I'm truly sorry that this chapter has taken so long to write. We found out this week that my uncle has cancer, and it's been really hard for him. So that's why I haven't been on. But, here's the next chapter and I hope you like it! Thank your for being patient.**

Gone. She was gone, and there was nothing Finn could do. He wanted her to stay; begged her, even. But she couldn't. And he knew that, but it hurt too much to accept it.

No one ever wants to see his or her best friend move away. Especially not to a place so far away. The uncertainty of ever seeing them again grates away all happiness until the world seems to crash and burn right in front of your eyes. And at such a young age, Finn didn't know how to control his feelings.

His mother, Carole, tried her best explaining this to her only son.

"Finn, baby, you know it's for the best. Rachel's family needs her and her mother." Carole tried to comfort him by putting an arm around his shoulder.

Since she left, Finn had had a hard time doing anything. The pain of losing her gnawed at his spirit, keeping the usually positive Finn locked away somewhere deep inside him and replacing him with a child going through his midlife crisis about twenty-five years too early.

"_I _need her, Mom. _I_ need her to be here with _me_." His reasoning made sense to him. Rachel had always been there for him before, so why not now?

"Honey, it's different. Shelby's father isn't doing well anymore, so they have to go take care of him." Finn cut his eyes at his mother. She didn't even chastise him like she normally would have because she knew what he was going through.

"You don't get it do you?" Finn let out an annoyed laugh. "No, you don't because you never do." His voice was starting to rise. "Rachel means everything to me. Did you know that she's the only reason why I like school?"

Carole just stared at him, letting him lash out at her to relieve some of the stress that had been building up for weeks now.

"You didn't because you don't care! Do you? If you did, Mom, you would have tried helping me in getting her to stay." Tears started to stream down his cheeks, and he let them.

He'd felt numb since that night a few weeks back when Rachel had informed him that she was moving to Nevada. The tears were painful, but at least it was something other than the dull ache that had consumed him for what seemed like an eternity.

He sat back down on the couch next to his mother. Calming down a bit, he continued on with his speech. "I'd do anything for her, Mom. _Anything._" Finn paused for a moment to catch a glimpse of his mother's face, which displayed almost as much heart break as his. "I guess that doesn't matter anymore though, does it?" He said, tossing his arms up in exasperation. "I mean, it's not like I'm ever going to see her again."

Finally done with the first faze of his tantrum, which to Carole oddly reminded her of Rachel, Finn exited the living room and headed towards his own bedroom.

It was official, not that Carole had not known before, but this confirmed it further. Finn was in love with Rachel. She'd known it from the moment he'd come home in kindergarten and Rachel was all he could talk about. Just the way he had described her. He had come home after the first day and talked her ear off about how "the new girl, Rachel, likes to sing and color in coloring books,". She couldn't bear the thought of her son losing all of his joy and happiness at such a young age. She knew he would bounce back at some point. He was a kid, and kids always get over it. But that didn't make the fact that Rachel was gone any easier to handle now.

He was going to need time to think and heal, and she was prepared to give that to him.


	4. Disturbed, Yeah

**Hi again! Ok, I know you really don't want to hear this, so I'll make it quick! I am SO VERY sorry for not updating in so long. It's been a very tough few weeks for me and my family. So, it's not like I just didn't want to write. Over my spring break I went to help out at my uncle's house because he just recently started chemo therapy for his cancer. He's been really sick, so I was busy helping him. Then when I got home, I came down with strep throat… after I've had bronchitis and pneumonia this year already! So that was not fun… But, I'm feeling better and I have a lot of new ideas for where my story is headed… I'm sorry you had to wait so long, but thanks anyway. If you need to, then please go back and read the last chapter so you remember what has happened! Please, please don't forget to comment! You guys are really amazing and make me feel so happy that you like my stories when you do. So don't stop! Please enjoy! **

Finn changed after Rachel left. And not for the better. The happy twelve year-old boy was gone and was replaced by the rebellious teenager who later grew out of his horrible habits and worked on doing the one thing he truly and passionately loved: music. So in a way, his loss turned into his gain. It was just ten years late.

Los Angeles. That's where he was going to be. That's where he wanted to be, because this was what his life was now. A life ready to begin again. A fresh start from the mess that he'd been in for so long. It had been laid out in front of him. His opportunities were here in this city and his mistakes were waiting to be made. Finn was ready. Or at least he thought he was.

The lights in the bar were dimmed and Finn sat alone at the table. There was hardly anyone in the place. Given, it was only two o'clock in the afternoon, which is a slow hour for a bar, even in LA. But he liked it this way. It gave him time to think, to plan. He had absolutely no clue what he was going to do.

The twenty-two year old ordered his beer and thought. What was he going to do? He'd come out here to this new and thriving city to break in to the music industry. Play the drums for some band. It didn't even matter who it was. All Finn wanted was to be accepted, to be a part of something special. He'd gone so long feeling alone and lost in his own personal heart ache that he needed the friendship and comfort provided in a band. He wanted it more than anything.

And also there was money. He needed money if he didn't want to go back to Ohio and be the sad sack that has to live with his parents until he's thirty. But, he was the depressed teen that lived at home until the age of twenty-two. Everyone that had used to be his friend had moved away immediately after high school to get away from the small but bustling town of Lima, Ohio. Because they could only take so much. Finn, on the other hand, was still lost.

**Flashback**

Finn looked around to make sure that no one had followed him. He didn't want to seem suspicious, so he'd told his mom that he'd been invited to one of his old buddy's partied. In reality, things were way South of that.

"Dude, do you have the stuff?" Finn asked the slightly older man. Even at the age of sixteen, Finn towered over the small acquaintance.

"You bet I do." the shorter man replied. Impatiently, he added, "Hey man, but if I give you it, then I'm going to need my money. I thought we had a deal."

Finn knew that it was bad. Stealing money from his mom was definitely frowned upon. There was no doubt about it, but he _needed _this. He _needed_ to feel good. And if this was the way that he could achieve happiness, then to hell with everything. He was going to do it. Finn was willing to do anything to get out of this pit. This deep, dark hole of sorrow and loneliness. Little did he know that by accepting the product that he was just digging himself deeper and deeper.

"I have the money, just give it to me." The shorter man handed over the small baggie.

"Thanks, dude. Enjoy it." And with that, he left. The secret meeting had never happened. No one knew, and that was how it was going to stay. They'd made an agreement. As long as both men got what they'd asked for, then everything was settled. No fighting, no interactions with each other except for the monthly meeting.

Finn took the baggie and left. He walked to the park to sit for a while so he could avoid the questions from his mom about why he was home so early. And it was such a gorgeous day, so why not?

After sitting on the park bench, watching the innocent children, wishing that he were still in that stage of his life instead of the hell he was living now, he stood up. Finn wiped the dirt from his jeans and started to make the short walk home.

On the way back, he thought about everything he'd been through in the past few years. He'd lost his best friend. And out of sadness and self pity, he'd quit playing football. His grades had plummeted, and the worst part was that he didn't even care that much. He'd stopped taking care of himself.

Before he knew it, Finn had arrived back to his house. He stepped through the back door and wandered absentmindedly into the kitchen, calling for his mother on the way to alert her that he was home. On the counter, he found a note.

_Finn, I won't be back home until later tonight. I was called in for a meeting at the office. I'm sorry, baby. I hope you had fun at the party! Love you bunches, sweetheart. –Mom_

So he was alone for the night. He would miss his mother, but this was perfect. It would give him a chance to test out his latest buy. And then, maybe, _hopefully,_ he'd feel a little bit better.

So Finn went up to his room and shut the door. He sent a quick text to his mother to tell her that he was home safe and that he was going to bed early tonight so that maybe she wouldn't bother him.

He sat down at his desk under the window and retrieved the small baggie that he'd bought earlier that day. He let the contents of it spill out onto the surface of the desk. He stared at it for a moment and then took a deep breath to steady his heart beat. The adrenaline was pumping fast through him, so he needed to calm down.

He'd always heard that cocaine could give you one of the best highs. He'd also heard that once you did it, you were hooked on it. But he was Finn. That wouldn't happen to him, or so he thought. So, he was going to try it.

He glanced at the white powder in front of him once more and bent down and that was it. _Sniff. _He snorted it in. The pain and hurt was gone. And so was the Finn that everyone knew and loved.

That's the funny thing about life. You never think that the bad things are going to happen to you. Because when you're young, you feel indestructible. Nothing can hurt you. Your best friend won't leave, you won't completely fail at school and sports, and you won't get hooked on coke. But you aren't indestructible. Things happen, bad things. And that's what being young is about.

**End of Flashback**

Finn shivered at the memory. He'd tried so hard to keep his troubled past locked away in the deepest drawer of his mind. But the alcohol was getting to him. He was letting loose and forgetting to shut it tight enough. But that was alright because it reminded him that the feeling that that high gives you doesn't last. It goes away just as quickly as it comes. Just like youth.


End file.
